Birth Traits Associated with Pre-Adulthood Disease Manifestations in Calves

Abstract

The objective of this study was to explore the relationship between calf birth traits and their susceptibility to diseases before reaching adulthood. A total of 5253 birth traits of Chinese Holstein calves were examined, including gestation length (GL), calf weight at birth (CW), and calving ease score (CES), which ranges from 1 (easy) to 5 (very difficult). Furthermore, monthly medical records were scrutinized for pneumonia and diarrhea in these calves. The study assessed five aspects of disease manifestation in calves: age at first onset, frequency of illness, longest duration of treatment, and total duration of treatment. The link between age at onset and disease manifestation prior to adulthood was analyzed using general linear models and regression models. The GL of calves significantly correlated with the risk of pneumonia, with the risk decreasing as the GL increases. A higher CES was associated with a later onset of diarrhea in calves. Furthermore, the CES was significantly negatively correlated with the duration of diarrhea treatment in calves. These results suggest that implementing different preventive measures for calves with different birth traits and modifying treatment protocols for affected calves could enhance the productivity of dairy cows and reduce losses on farms.

Keywords: animal welfare; birth traits; calf; health traits.

Figure 1

Association between manifestations of specific syndromes of calf pneumonia and birth traits after calving morbidity. Spearman correlation matrix used to compare calf birth traits and syndrome treatment outcomes for pneumonia in calves (n = 535). The numbers in the lower left of the matrix represent the correlation values, while the superscripts in the upper right represent the p-values (* p < 0.05, ** p < 0.01). The closer the color is to red, the stronger the positive correlation, and the closer the color is to green, the stronger the negative correlation.

Figure 2

Association between manifestations of specific syndromes of calf diarrhea and birth traits after calving morbidity. Spearman correlation matrix used to compare calf birth traits and syndrome treatment outcomes for diarrhea in calves (n = 3941). The numbers in the lower left of the matrix represent the correlation values, while the superscripts in the upper right represent the p-values (** p < 0.01). The closer the color is to red, the stronger the positive correlation, and the closer the color is to green, the stronger the negative correlation.